Category: Kyushu

Hiking the Karatsu OLLE course

It took 3 trains and a bus to reach the trailhead for a Kyushu OLLE hike, but that’s part of the fun. It’s getting harder to find a course I haven’t hiked. I followed special markers past rice paddies, through the ruins of an enormous castle, and through rural villages. Here, I imagined I would be one of the peasants in feudal times, carrying the local Daimyo (lord) in a palanquin.

Day trip to Kagoshima

Took a bullet train 180 miles to Kagoshima for the afternoon. Recent visits had been washouts, but today I wandered in shirtsleeves, getting reacquainted with Sengan-en (extensive garden with views across Kagoshima Bay to Sakurajima, an active volcano), the harbor with boats going to unique places like Tanegashima (Japan’s space port), Saigo Takamori (the last Samurai), and a lovely public library atop a department store for a cuppa.

Hakata (tonkotsu) ramen for introverts.

I’m staying next to Hakata Station, a district of Fukuoka, so, of course I had Hakata-style ramen for dinner. The creamy broth is made from pork bones, cooked at a rolling boil for an extended period, 12 to 60 hours, depending on the recipe. I ordered and paid at a touchscreen at the entrance. When the meal was ready, the flap at the back of the cubicle rose up, and hands appeared bearing the meal. Eye contact was impossible.

Unexpected snow, hike abandoned

I was met with icy blasts as I got off the bus at the trailhead bus stop, and after only a few hundred yards, I abandoned the ascent. Though a comfortable climb I’ve done three times before, today was not the day. There was no snow atop Mt. Yufu this morning, but this afternoon was a different story, as seen in this photo from Yufuin’s main drag.

Simple comforts in Yufuin: a ryokan stay

Checked into a ryokan (traditional inn) in Yufuin, on the island of Kyushu. My room has this personal onsen with free-flowing water from a hot spring (that’s steam!) and I’ll be sleeping on a futon on tatami mats. At US$170 per day, the value is excellent, as it includes a multi-course dinner and breakfast. The tree in full bloom is a Judas Tree (or Chinese Redbud), fitting for Holy Week.

Exploring Kyushu

It’s been a rainy day, a good day to travel by bullet and local trains from Okayama (1) to Kyushu, one of Japan’s four main islands. I’m staying in the onsen town of Yufuin (2) for two nights then I’ll stay in Fukuoka (3) as a base for day trips.

When Google Maps Knows Ramen

A craving for ramen hit me as I stood outside Hakata Station in Fukuoka. The drippy, gray weather just amplified my desire for a steaming bowl of Hakata ramen—perfect for a day like this. Now the challenge was to find a decent ramen restaurant. Google Maps came to the rescue.

Bullet Train to Hakata

On board a bullet train to Hakata (Fukuoka). Indeed the rain bucketed down all day in Kagoshima, but I was able to visit the Meiji Museum and get my ears lowered. Also popped into MontBell, one of my favorite outdoors stores, to replace my folding/disintegrating daypack. Finally, I enjoyed a coffee and sandwich in a cafe in a lovely public library.